Why is My AC Turning On and Off?

When an air conditioner (AC) turns on and off in rather quick successions, without running for longer periods, this is called short cycling. It’s fairly common, but when it happens it means there’s something wrong with the AC. Do not leave these occurrences alone. They will increase your energy costs, usually indicate a larger problem, and could lead to permanent damage of your unit, thus requiring a costly replacement. Short cycling also shortens your AC’s life span.

Call a professional technician and have your unit inspected. Any one of our experts at Balance Point Heating & Air Conditioning can diagnose and repair this issue for you. Don’t delay. Call us at 970-480-0387, so we can get your AC back to its most efficient state for you.

While there are many possible reasons for short cycling, here are a few of the most common ones and what can be done to fix them.

Low Refrigerant

The coolant that flows through your system, helping to absorb heat and cool down the air inside your home, is called refrigerant. When your refrigerant is low, the needed compressor-pressure levels are affected. This triggers your compressor’s low pressure control, shutting off your compressor. When the pressure rises and triggers your AC to restart, this causes the short cycling. If your refrigerant level is low, this indicates your have a leak, as refrigerant is cycled throughout the compressor, not burned off. Low refrigerant can also cause frozen coils. A professional technician can find your leak and prevent any further issues or damage.

Thermostat Location

Your thermostat acts as the sensor for your AC, telling it when to cool your home. If its location is not optimal, such as near a window or too close to a vent, your thermostat will be sending misleading information to your AC. Suppose your thermostat is in the direct line of a vent’s airflow. This will cause the thermostat to think it’s cooler in your home than it really is, and your AC will shut off thinking it’s reached its desired temperature. Since the cool air is no longer flowing through the vent, the thermostat realizes your home is actually still too warm and triggers your AC to start up again. This is short cycling. Be sure your thermostat is located in a central location away from direct sunlight and vents.

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Dirty Air Filter

Dirty air filters are one of the most common and easily remedied problems with ACs we see here in Fort Collins, CO. The dirty filters restrict airflow, which in turn causes so many problems, one of them being a frozen coil. This can cause your AC to malfunction and short cycle. Be sure to change your filters regularly to avoid any issues.

Oversized AC

An AC unit that’s too large for your home short cycles, because it cools your home too rapidly while it doesn’t dehumidify it properly. So it’ll shut down and start up frequently. You’ll more than likely also find that your home has hot and cold spots, and you’ll experience higher energy bills. If your AC is newly installed, talk to the technicians who installed it to see what they can do to help you.

Short cycling causes a whole host of problems with your AC, so if you notice your AC doing this, call one of our Balance Point Heating & Air Conditioning technicians to assess the situation. You want your AC to cool efficiently and to last for years to come. Short cycling will short change you.

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Our Service Technician was Jim Jensen. He was very kind and patient with us. I hope we continue to work with him for heating and air conditioning in the future. Best service and technician I've worked with thus far!

When choosing Balance point I was looking for a local company as it is very important to me to support my local economie. As a bonus I found out Balance Point had very professional and reliable staff recommending what is good for my house and household without trying to talk me into any unnecessary services.

Awesome customer service, very professional staff and technicians. Always there to get the job done right with the highest quality, and service that you wont find anywhere else. I wont go to anyone else for my heating and cooling needs. Thank you!

Ken was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and non-salesy in his approach. He showed us the great value that Balance Point provides in their services. I will recommend you guys to others when the opportunity presents itself.

We have done business with Balance Point for a number of years. They are courteous, prompt and knowledgeable. We heard a funny noise coming from our furnace and called To have a technician come out and take a look. He came out right away and found a small hole in our return on the furnace that was causing a whistling sound. He repaired the hole and gave our furnace a check up. Everything is working great now.

Wonderful experience I had with them. From the time I made the phone call to Anisha til the tech Ryan show up to fix my problem, they are professional, Knowledgeable and easy to talk to. My ac stop working a week ago, other company quoted me $2000 to replace my compressor , maybe even the whole unit . They were able to find out the problem and fix it for $1000. The manager callen event stop by to say hi to me while the repair was going. I am a business owner , I will sign up for their business service program now , they are just awesome . Thank you again

Excellent service visit. Had an appointment and staff arrived on time. Very careful to wear protective shoe covers, etc. Always show respect for the customer and your home. They completed all service items in a timely manner and gave a great wrap-up on my system. They always communicate very well. Great company!

I hired Balance Point Heating and Air to tackle a project that had been a soar in my 4 year old businesses' side. Installing Air condition in an old building that had many obstacles. Balance point not only handled the project for us, they were super professional the whole way and most important to us super personal the whole way through, we never felt they did not have our backs the whole way helping us make sure everything was done and working correctly. They helped us every step of the way, and did in amazing job. I would not hesitate to recommend them on any job in the future and hope to continue a strong relationship into the future!

Balance Point went above and beyond in recent service and installation of our new furnace. We were able to get same-day service on our initial call, and after our furnace was pronounced DOA, we were quickly given a range of good price options for a new furnace. Callen, Cole, and Ryan were efficient and friendly throughout the installation process, and we absolutely LOVE our new furnace. They've been very helpful in guiding us through the process for getting rebates as well.

Just had a QuietCool whole house fan installed. Cole and the electricians that came as part of the package were very professional, efficient, and personable. I love the fan and appreciate good service. Thanks.

We had a specialty AC unit that's designed for server room application, it's not designed to be repairable (TrippLite doesn't even offer a repair service for their $2500 unit), Balance Point Heating & Air Conditioning was the only place in Fort Collins I found that was willing to work on it. David V. was able to diagnose and repair the issue on it in an hour; it was obvious that he knew how to troubleshoot and find an oddball issue, and not just throw parts at it and hope it fixed it.Thank you very much for your excellent work!

Couldn't be happier with them. My hot water heater recently went out and Balance Point was quick to get out there and make sure I could replace it right away. I decided it was time to replace my ancient furnace and air conditioner at the same time. They offered several alternatives at various price points, explained the differences between them, and helped coordinate several rebates my final system selections were eligible for. Due to the design of my home, the space available install the system was limited and offered some challenges which they adapted to and handled with ease. They worked late on a Friday to make sure everything was up and running so I could use it if necessary over the weekend. I never hesitate to recommend Balance Point to friends and clients because they all have been happy with their work as well.